THE AMERICAS: Percussions & Repercussions

When the Argentine merchantman Rio Salado was warped to wharf in Buenos
Aires recently, her crew had a tale to tell: on her voyage from New
York, the ship had been stopped five separate times by Axis submarines.
Once her neutral Argentine markings were proved genuine, she had been
allowed to proceed unmolested.

The 1,858-ton Chilean freighter Tolten was unluckier. A fortnight ago,
after unloading her cargo at Baltimore, she was proceeding to New York.
Chilean flag brightly illuminated, to load return cargo.
A U.S. patrol boat ordered her to turn off her...